Jilted man accused of torching ex's car

Daniel Tepfer

Published 6:11 pm, Thursday, October 3, 2013

MONROE -- A man desperate to get back with his girlfriend allegedly set fire to her car outside her sister's home here.

Police said Richard Nau was so desperate to get back with his girlfriend that he had a friend impersonate a federal probation officer and claim Nau had been ordered by a court to live with the girlfriend.

Nau, 31, of Light Street, Stratford, was charged Thursday with first-degree arson, reckless burning and risk of injury to a minor. He was being held on $200,000 bond.

On July 8 Nau's girlfriend threw him out of her home for stealing money from her, police said. Nau subsequently left multiple messages on the girlfriend's phone threatening to either slash his wrists or overdose on heroin unless she took him back, police said.

Police said on Aug. 10 the girlfriend's car along with a portion of her sister's home went up in flames. The sister's two young children were home at the time.

Police said Nau claimed he had been home, talking to a friend on his cellphone at the time of the fire and then had gone to bed. But when police checked Nau's cellphone records they determined that in fact he had made the call while in the area of the sister's home.